Bottle cap



Oct.- 17,1939, 1.. wlLcox .3 7

BOTTLE CAP Filed Sept. 2, 1937 Patented Oct. 17, 1939 PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CAP Isaac L. Wilcox, Fulton, N. Y., assignor to Oswego Falls Corporation, Fulton, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 2, 1937, Serial No. 162,166

2 Claims.

This invention relatesin general to hood or cover-all caps for bottles and the like, and more particularly to a hood cap pre-formed, or partially pre-formed, from thin, flexible material 5 and involving a construction by which the cap will remain in pre-formed condition until applied to the bottle.

Due to the fact that bottles capped with hood caps, particularly milk bottles, are subject to 10 extreme moisture, it is necessary that the material from which the hood cap is made be moisture-proof, or moisture repellent. Generally, these caps are made from paper which is processed or treated in some manner to render it 15 moisture-repellent. However, this additional processing adds to the cost of the material from which the cap is formed, and is not entirely satisfactory, particularly in that moisture penetrates the cap at the points where the material 20 is creased or folded. There are materials which are inherently moisture-proof, such as Cellophane, but these materials possess a comparatively high degree of resiliency, and for this reason it has heretofore been thought impractical 25 to construct hood caps in a partially pre-formed state from such material. There are instances where it is desirable to partially pre-form the cap instead of forming it from a flat blank and simultaneously applying it to the bottle. Due to the 30 resiliency of the material, hood caps partially pre-formed have a tendency to return to flat condition.

This invention has as an object a construction and method by which hood caps may be partially 35 pro-formed from such resilient material, and which will remain in pre-formed condition until applied to the bottle.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions and 40 the method hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In, describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which like char.- acters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

5 Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank previous to being drawn into cup form.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a plurality of caps arranged in nested condition, which caps have been partially pre-formed from the blank 5 shown in Figure 1. 4

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the cap applied to the top portion of the bottle.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of a cap pre-formed from the blank of Fig. 1.

At the present time, I find that Cellophane is a material particularly well adapted for the formation of my cap, and I prefer to form the cap from disks ID of this material. The marginal portion of the disk is coated, at circumferentially spaced apart points indicated at H, 5 Figure 1, with a suitable adhesive in the nature of thermo-plastic, or like solvent. Subsequently, the marginal portion of the disk It] is drawn or bent downwardly forming a depending outwardly flaring skirt portion l2. The central portion 13 of the blank constitutes the discoidal top portion of the cap. In this drawing operation, the

previously coated portions II are folded to form subsequently overlapping pleats, and while the blank is thus folded into cup form, the upper end 15 portions Id of the pleats are pressed together and are sealed or secured in overlapping relationship by the adhesive. At this time, the remaining portion of the pleats are in expanded form. That is, the skirt I2 is not drawn or contracted sufficiently to effect a complete overlap of the pleats. Due to the fact that the upper end portion of the pleats are sealed together, any tendency of the blank to return to flat normal condition is resisted and prevented, and the caps in this cup shape form may'be shipped in nested condition,

as illustrated in Figure 2.

Subsequently, the caps are individually applied over the top of the bottle B, and the skirt portion I2 contracted about the neck of the bottle, and the remaining portion of the pleats pressed together and sealed in overlapping relationship, whereby the cap is securely fixed to the bottle. With certain types of adhesive, it will be necessary to apply heat during the contraction of the skirt l2 in order that the pleats may be permanently sealed throughout their length.

While'I have made particular reference to Cellophane, it will be obvious that other materials of like nature may be employed in carry- 40 ing out the invention.

The important feature of the invention resides in pre-forming a hood cap and maintaining the same in pre-formed condition by sealing or cementing the upper portion of the pleats together.

What I claim is:

1. A bottle cap partially preformed from thin, resilient, sheet material, said cap comprising a discoidal portion extending across the top of the bottle and a depending skirt portion of pleated formation adapted to be contracted about the neck of the bottle when the cap is applied to the same with the pleats in overlapping relationship throughout substantially their entire length, the pleats of said partially preformed cap being arranged in overlapping relationship throughout a portion of their length and in expanded relation throughout the remainder of their length, and said overlapping portion of the pleats-being permanently secured together and maintaining the skirt in depending condition:

2. A bottle cap partially preformed fromthin,

resilient, sheet material, said cap comprising a discoidal portion extending across the top 01' the .bottle and a depending skirt portion of pleated formation adapted to be contracted about the neck of the bottle when the cap is applied to the same with the pleats in overlapping relationship an adhesive to subsequently secure said portions about the together up n ohtraction of the skirt neck Ofthe bottle.

' ISAAC L. W'ILCOX. 

